Isabella’s Paris

A quick whistle stop tour of our favourites from 2023!

Best Croissant: Le Boulanger De La Tour
https://boulangerdelatour.com/en/
We tried so many and this was by far the best croissant we had in Paris! We can also highly recommend their “twisted” baguette, their milk bread (which you buy by weight), and their Paris Brest patisserie. The bakery is located right by the Seine, so you can take your croissant down to the river to eat (or you stroll to Noir to pick up a good coffee, as the coffee at De La Tour is not that good). As far as we know, the same people who operate the bakery also run a little bistro and a restaurant closeby – we did not go but it might be worth checking it out, if their baked goods are anything to go by!

Best Macarons: Pierre Hermé
https://www.pierreherme.com/en/
Again, we tried a few, and these were our favourites. We thought they were much more flavoursome than Laduree. Favourite flavour: pistachio raspberry. They also have a Pierre Herme in CDG airport which has roughly the same pricing as the ones in town, so you can take some home with you!

Best Coffee: Noir
https://noircoffeeshop.com/
We found excellent coffee quite hard to come by, so once we had found Noir we kept coming back every day. One of their stores is located on the Seine island, which means it is in one of the oldest areas of Paris. It is also conveniently close to Le Boulanger De La Tour (see above) and a variety of Seine river banks to sit and enjoy your coffee.

Best Dinner (cheaper): Maslow
https://maslow-group.com/
The sharing concept has become quite popular, but here it really makes sense. Their smaller dishes are made to be enjoyed with good company – and you just get to try more of their delicious food. The whole menu is vegetarian, but you probably would not notice (no meat replacements, just honest veggie food). Order at least two portions of the gnocchi. 

Best Dinner (fancy): Frenchie Pigalle
http://www.frenchie-pigalle.com/
If you want to treat yourself, book yourself into Frenchie Pigalle. They have a few restaurants across the city (and the world, some with stars) and this one is their bistro offering. It is fun, vibrant, and seasonal. The wine is exceptional and the service is friendly. This probably means it is more geared towards tourists, but you are still getting a truly French experience. Exceptional food, in particular the desserts.

Best area for lunch: Rue des Martyrs
With bistros, bakeries, cafes, and restaurants lining the street it is tricky to decide where to go. With so many great options, many of them take-away, we were spoilt for choice. We landed on the Rose Bakery for salad and omelette and it really hit the spot!

Best place to sit at the Seine: Quai Saint-Bernard (Behind the Jardin des Plantes/southern river bank)
There are many beautiful spots to sit along the Seine, but this was our favourite! Sheltered by loads of plants from the busy road this is an oasis to enjoy the sunset. While it can get quite busy it is easy to find a spot to chill with a supermarket picnic and/or a half-bottle of champagne. It is clean, well lit, and there are even public toilets nearby. There are even public dance lessons happening in some of the small amphitheatres. Definitely the place to be.